Electronic component with reactive barrier and hermetic passivation layer

ABSTRACT

An electronic component is provided on a substrate. A thin-film capacitor is attached to the substrate, the thin-film capacitor includes a pyrochlore or perovskite dielectric layer between a plurality of electrode layers, the electrode layers being formed from a conductive thin-film material. A reactive barrier layer is deposited over the thin-film capacitor. The reactive barrier layer includes an oxide having an element with more than one valence state, wherein the element with more than one valence state has a molar ratio of the molar amount of the element that is in its highest valence state to its total molar amount in the barrier of 50% to 100%. Optionally layers of other materials may intervene between the capacitor and reactive barrier layer. The reactive barrier layer may be paraelectric and the electronic component may be a tunable capacitor.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of the following priorapplication: “Hermetic Passivation Layer Structure for Capacitors withPerovskite or Pyrochlore Phase Dielectrics,” U.S. application Ser. No.11/767,559, filed Jun. 25, 2007, which in turn claimed priority to U.S.Provisional Application No. 60/817,033, titled “Hermetic PassivationLayer Structure for Capacitors with Perovskite or Pyrochlore PhaseDielectrics,” filed Jun. 28, 2006. These prior applications, includingthe entirety of the written descriptions and drawing figures, are herebyincorporated into the present application by reference.

FIELD

The technology described in this patent document relates generally tothe field of thin-film devices and fabrication.

BACKGROUND

Thin-film circuit modules are commonly used in space-constrainedapplications, such as hearing instrument or cell phone products. In somethin-film circuit modules, perovskite or pyrochlore materials, such as(Ba_(x)Sr_(y))TiO₃ (hereinafter BST), are used as high K capacitordielectrics. The high dielectric constant of these materials allows forsignificant miniaturization of these devices. Many capacitors can alsobe fabricated on a single substrate along with other passive electroniccomponents (integrated passive component chips) to form part ofcellphone power amplifier modules, GPS receivers, etc.

Moisture affects pyrochlore and perovskite dielectric capacitorsadversely, causing increased leakage and significantly degradingperformance and shortening the lifetime of the device. Thus, either ahermetic package must be provided, or the chip must incorporate hermeticsealing layers to prevent moisture penetrating to the perovskitedielectric. For cost purposes, most applications incorporate a hermeticsealing layer.

Currently known methods for providing a hermetic seal and scratchprotection include either a low-temperature plasma-enhanced chemicalvapor deposition (PECVD) or high-temperature/low pressure depositionchemical vapor deposition process (LPCVD) of silicon nitride. Theseprocesses result in the production of a significant amount of atomichydrogen.

Some of the hydrogen produced during the typical LPCVD and PECVDprocesses reacts with the perovskite or pyrochlore dielectric materialand causes an increased leakage current in the capacitor. The lifetimeof a capacitor is inversely related to leakage current. The LPCVD andPECVD processes, while useful for providing a hermetic seal and scratchprotection, also cause a decrease in the lifetime of the capacitor, dueto the effect of the hydrogen produced by these processes on theperovskite or pyrochlore materials.

Hydrogen barrier layers are known, but they have limited effectiveness.A typical hydrogen barrier serves to trap hydrogen ions and store themin the crystalline lattice without a change in the chemical compositionof the barrier material. Atomized hydrogen easily diffuses through suchbarriers unless it reacts with them.

SUMMARY

The technology described herein provides a barrier layer to shield thedielectric from the harmful effects of the hydrogen released in theLPCVD or PECVD process.

An electronic component is provided on a substrate. A thin-filmcapacitor is attached to the substrate, the thin-film capacitor includesa pyrochlore or perovskite dielectric layer between a plurality ofelectrode layers, the electrode layers being formed from a conductivethin-film material. A reactive barrier layer is deposited over thethin-film capacitor. The reactive barrier layer includes an oxide havingan element with more than one valence state, wherein the element withmore than one valence state has a molar ratio of the molar amount of theelement that is in its highest valence state to its total molar amountin the barrier of 50% to 100%. Optionally layers of other materials mayintervene between the capacitor and reactive barrier layer. The reactivebarrier layer may be paraelectric and the electronic component may be atunable capacitor.

As used herein, the terms “a” or “an” should be construed to mean one ormore, except when it is clear from the context that this is notintended.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram of an example thin-film capacitor fabricated on asubstrate.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of the example thin-film capacitor of FIG. 1,including an insulating and/or planarizing layer.

FIG. 3 is a diagram of the example thin-film capacitor of FIG. 2,including a hydrogen barrier layer.

FIG. 4 is a diagram of the example thin-film capacitor of FIG. 3,including an insulating layer.

FIG. 5 is a diagram of the example thin-film capacitor of FIG. 4,including via holes etched in the interlayer dielectric (ILD) layer.

FIG. 6 is a diagram of the example thin-film capacitor of FIG. 5,including an interconnect layer.

FIG. 7 is a diagram of the example thin-film capacitor of FIG. 6,including a hermetic seal layer.

FIG. 8 is a diagram of the example thin-film capacitor of FIG. 7,including a package interconnect layer.

FIG. 9 is a diagram of an example thin-film capacitor having a viaetched in the ferroelectric layer.

FIG. 10 is a diagram of the example thin-film capacitor of FIG. 9,including insulating and/or planarizing layers.

FIG. 11 is a diagram of the example thin-film capacitor of FIG. 10,including via holes etched in an ILD layer.

FIG. 12 is a diagram of the example thin-film capacitor of FIG. 11,including an interconnect layer.

FIG. 13 is a diagram of the example thin-film capacitor of FIG. 12,including a hydrogen barrier layer.

FIG. 14 is a diagram of the example thin-film capacitor of FIG. 13,including a hermetic seal layer.

FIG. 15 is a diagram of the example thin-film capacitor of FIG. 14,including a package interconnect layer.

FIG. 16( a) is a diagram of the example thin-film capacitor of FIG. 15,but with a different package interconnect layer.

FIG. 16( b) is a diagram of the example thin-film capacitor of FIG. 8,but with a different package interconnect layer.

FIG. 17 is a diagram of an example multi-level thin-film capacitorhaving a hydrogen barrier integrated into the final passivation layer.

FIG. 18 is a diagram of an example multi-level thin-film capacitorhaving a hydrogen barrier integrated into the ILD film stack.

FIG. 19 is a diagram of an example thin-film capacitor having a hermeticsealing layer integrated part of the ILD film stack.

FIG. 20 is a diagram of the example thin-film capacitor of FIG. 19including via openings etched into the ILD film stack.

FIG. 21 is a diagram of the example thin-film capacitor of FIG. 20including a final protection layer and package interconnects.

FIG. 22 is an additional example thin-film capacitor.

FIGS. 23 and 24 illustrate an example process for fabricating an examplecircuit structure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Described herein are example structures and methods for providing areactive hydrogen barrier layer to a capacitor structure thatincorporates perovskite or pyrochlore materials as a dielectric. Thisbarrier helps prevent degrading of the leakage current of the perovskiteor pyrochlore dielectric that results from the absorption of hydrogenthat is released from silicon nitride deposition processes such asconformal methods that enable the deposition of dense pin-hole-freefilms, such as: plasma-enhanced (PECVD) or low-pressure (LPCVD) chemicalvapor deposition. Accordingly, the durability and reliability of thecapacitor is improved.

The reactive barrier in the structures described herein includes a layercontaining reactive oxides of elements that have more than one valencestate and are completely or partially in the highest valence state.Examples of such reactive oxides include Y₂O₃, CeO₂, LaO₅, Ta₂O₅, TiO₂,V₂O₅, PbO₂, Mo₂O₃, W₂O₅, SnO₂, HfO₂, and mixtures thereof. In someexamples, the reactive oxide may be combined with a cation, for examplethe oxide may be present in combination with a cation in the followingforms: BaTiO₃, CaTiO₃, SrTiO₃, BeTiO₃, MbTiO₃, or a mixture of these.Also, for example the reactive barrier layer may include mixed oxides ofperovskite or pyrochlore material, such as BST, PZT (Lead ZirconiumTitanium Oxide) PLZT (Lead Lanthanum Zirconium Titanium Oxide), YAG(Yttrium Aluminum Oxide) or a mixture of these. Other combinations alsoexist; however, oxides containing cations from the alkali metals groupmay create high mobility ions when exposed to ambient moisture.

The reactive barrier may be ferroelectric or paraelectric. In someapplications a paraelectric barrier is beneficial. For example, the useof a ferroelectric barrier in a tunable ferroelectric capacitor couldcause additional RF loss at certain frequencies. This is because atunable ferroelectric capacitor is electrostrictive. As a capacitor itis tuned (by DC), it will resonate at certain frequencies producingmechanical vibrations. These vibrations will cause deformations in thebarrier layer since it is located in the close vicinity of thecapacitor. Thus, a ferroelectric reactive barrier, which is subject todeformation, will produce ferroelectricity increasing RF losses andleakage current. In contrast, a paraelectric reactive barrier will notrespond to such deformation, and as a result will have comparativelylower RF losses and more stable leakage current.

The gettering efficiency of the reactive barrier layer is dependent onits reactivity. The reactivity is higher when the degree ofcrystallinity is lower. The larger the crystalline size, the higher thea total activation energy of the process. Therefore, an amorphous layerhas the highest reactivity compared to a crystalline layer. Some smalldegree of crystallinity may be preferred for some applications however.The reactive barrier may, for example, be amorphous or have an averagecrystal diameter of 1 to 50 nanometers, 1 to 15 nanometers or 5 to 15nanometers.

As a function of the crystallinity, the reactivity of the reactivebarrier layer also rises as the molar ratio of an element that is in itshighest valence state to its total molar amount in the layer increases.Thus, a layer that includes an element in its highest valence state at aratio of one is the most reactive compared to lower molar ratios. Thereactive barrier may, for example, contain an element with a molar ratioof the molar amount of the element that is in its highest valence stateto its total molar amount in the barrier of 0.50 to 1.00, such as 0.75to 1.00, or 0.95 to 1.00. After the deposition of a passivation layer bya method that produces atomized hydrogen, the element may, for example,have a molar ratio of the molar amount of the element that is in itshighest valence state to its total molar amount in the barrier of 0 to0.85, such as 0.25 to 0.75, 0.45 to 0.70, or 0.50 to 0.65. Thedifference between the molar ratio before deposition of the passivationlayer and after deposition of the passivation layer may, for example, be0.15 to 1.0, such as 0.20 to 0.75, 0.20 to 0.50, or 0.15 to 0.35.

Variation of at least three factors can control crystallinity and as afunction of crystallinity, reactivity: the temperature, pressure, andpower of the deposition process for depositing the reactive barrier.Generally, a lower temperature deposition will provide a more reactivebarrier; however, a somewhat elevated temperature may be required tomaintain other performance characteristics, e.g. the physical density ofthe reactive barrier layer, which provides sufficient protection withinthe area and perimeter of the device (including step coverage).

A low-temperature deposition process, such as sputtering, pulse-laserdeposition, laser ablation deposition, produces a barrier material thathas a higher reactivity than the same material applied with a hightemperature process. This is because a low-temperature depositionproduces a barrier layer with a smaller crystal size. For example, adeposition temperature in the range of 20°-500° C., 300°-450° C.,20°-100° C. for different barrier materials, may be used.

A low-pressure setting for the deposition process can decrease thecrystallinity of the barrier material, and as a function of thisproduces a barrier material that has a higher reactivity than the samematerial applied with a high pressure setting. This applies to barriersdeposited by sputtering, pulse-laser deposition, and laser ablationdeposition processes. For example, a deposition pressure in the range of0.5-2 Pa, 0.3-1 Pa, 0.1-0.2 Pa, may be used.

A high-power setting for the deposition process can decrease thecrystallinity of the barrier material, and, as a function of this,produce a barrier material that has a higher reactivity than the samematerial applied with a low power setting. This applies to barriersdeposited by sputtering, pulse-laser deposition, and laser ablationdeposition processes. For example, a deposition power setting in therange of 0.4-2.2 kW, 1-1.5 kW, 1.5-2.2 kW RF or mixed (RF+DC orRF+pulsed DC) power, may be used.

The reactive barrier layer functions by gettering atomized hydrogen andreacting with it producing chemically, thermally, and electricallystable by-products. The reactive hydrogen barrier material undergoeschemical changes as a result of the reaction with atomized hydrogen. Forexample, alkali earth titanates will be converted into alkali earthhydroxytitanates, which are chemically, thermally, and electricallystable. This produces a more effective barrier, because the stablematerial will better capture and retain the hydrogen.

In addition, a reactive barrier deposited with low temperature methods,will make it compatible with interconnects such as Al or Cu basedinterconnects. This stands in contrast to high-temperature depositionmethods that are also oxygen ambient. High temperatures will melt Al(melting point 615° C.) and, in combination with oxygen, will completelyoxidize copper (above 450° C.).

The reactive barrier should be deposited onto the thin film stack beforethe hermetic passivation layer is deposited. This reactive barrier layerthen getters the hydrogen which is produced during the CVD deposition ofthe hermetic seal, preventing the hydrogen from reaching the capacitordielectric, thus lessening degradation of the capacitor properties.FIGS. 1-8 show the integration of the barrier layer into the inter-layerdielectric stack, and FIGS. 9-15 show the barrier layer being used aspart of the final passivation layer. A typical hermetic passivationlayer includes Silicon Nitride (SiN).

The example structures and methods described herein allow for a varietyof process options to be used with the dielectric layer and facilitateoptimizing of the dielectric layer. The subject of this disclosure alsoallows further processing of the structure to integrate other passivecomponents such as inductors, resistors, and capacitors with otherdielectric materials. The circuit structures described herein, may, forexample, be used in a system-on-a-package (SoP) structure for hearinginstrument products or other products requiring high volumetric densityfor capacitors and other integrated passives (e.g., inductors,resistors) in radio frequency (RF), Bluetooth, and high-speed wireless(e.g., wideband) communication modules.

FIG. 1 is a diagram of an example thin-film capacitor 1 fabricated on asubstrate 10. Also illustrated in FIG. 1 is an insulating and/orplanarizing layer 11 that is fabricated between the substrate 10 and thethin-film capacitor 1.

The thin-film capacitor 1 includes one or more layers of highpermittivity dielectric perovskite or pyrochlore material 13 (e.g.,compounds containing Barium Strontium Titanium Oxide or (BaSr)TiO₃ alsoknown as BST, SBT, SBM, PZT or PLZT) deposited between electrode layers12 formed from a conductive thin-film material (e.g., Pt, conductiveoxides like SrRuO3, LaNiO3, LaMn_(1-x)Co_(x)O3, etc., other metals, likeAu, Cu, W, etc.). The thin-film capacitor 1 can be fabricated with avariety of capacitance-voltage characteristics depending on the materialproperties and processing conditions of the whole stack. The thin-filmcapacitor 1 may include one or more voltage variable (tunable)capacitors and/or fixed value capacitors, depending on the type ofdielectric material used for the dielectric layer or layers. Thethin-film capacitor 1 may be a mesa-structure formed usingphotolithography patterning. A via hole 9 is etched in the perovskite orpyrochlore dielectric layer to allow access for a contact to the bottomelectrode.

The substrate 10 may, for example, be Si, Al₂O₃, sapphire MN, MgTiO₃,Mg₂SiO₄, GaAs, GaN, SiC or some other insulating, semi-insulating, orsemi-conducting material, either polycrystalline or mono-crystalline.Ceramic substrate materials are typically inexpensive and are highlymachineable. A ceramic substrate 10 may therefore include fine-pitchedmetal filled through holes that provide low and controlled parasitics.In addition, a ceramic substrate material provides substantially betterQ-factors for other passive components (e.g. thin-film inductors) thanconventional silicon-based substrates.

A smooth surface sufficient for fabricating the thin-film capacitor isprovided by the planarizing and/or insulating layer 11. In anotherexample, the thin-film capacitor 1 may be fabricated directly on thesubstrate; however, the fabrication of a high value thin-film capacitor(e.g., with an overall capacitance density from 10 to 390 fF/μm²)requires a high degree of precision, and this is difficult to achievewith some rough substrate materials such as ceramic. Therefore, theplanarizing layer 11 allows for increased precision. It may alsofacilitate better adhesion of the capacitor 1 to the substrate 10.

The planarizing and/or insulating layer 11 may be a thick filmdielectric material that is polished to provide a smooth upper surface.In another example, this layer 11 may be a smooth (fire polished) glassdielectric material. In the case of a polished thick film layer 11, thesurface roughness (Ra) of the smooth upper surface may be less than orequal to 0.08 micrometers (μm), but is preferably less than or equal to0.06 μm. In the case of a glass dielectric smooth and/or insulatinglayer 11, the surface roughness (Ra) of the smooth upper surface may beless than or equal to 0.08 μm, but is preferably less than or equal to0.03 μm. In addition to providing a low surface roughness (e.g., Ra≦0.08μm), this layer 11 is substantially free of micropores and is thusstable at high temperatures. For example, the smooth and/or insulatinglayer 11 may be able to withstand multiple anneals at high temperatures(e.g., 600-800° C.) in an oxidizing atmosphere without substantiallyaffecting its surface quality or the resistivity of any metal filledvias. As a result, the high-k ferroelectric layer(s) of the MLC 14 maybe deposited using a simple spin-coat technology, as well as methodssuch as Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) or Chemical Vapor Deposition(CVD).

FIG. 2 is a diagram of the example multi-level thin-film capacitor 1 ofFIG. 1, fabricated on a substrate 10 including an optional insulatingand/or planarizing layer 14, such as spin-on-glass, deposited by ahydrogen free process. An example capacitor may be fabricated withoutthe insulating and planarizing layer 14; however, including this layer14 allows for a smooth topography that is more amenable to sputteringtechniques.

FIG. 3 is a diagram of the example thin-film capacitor 1 of FIG. 2fabricated on a substrate 10, and overlaid with an insulating andplanarizing layer 14, and including a hydrogen barrier layer 15. Asmentioned above, the hydrogen barrier layer 15 may be any perovskite orpyrochlore material, for example a single alkali earth titanatedielectric or a mix of these. In this example, this layer may beanywhere from 50 nm to 1 micron thick. However, other thicknesses mayalso be used. This barrier layer 15 is incorporated into the layer stackof the capacitor before the hermetic seal silicon nitride layer isdeposited. The barrier layer 15 can be mono-crystalline,polycrystalline, or amorphous. This layer 15 functions to absorb orgetter the hydrogen which is produced during the silicon nitride CVDprocess, and prevents the hydrogen from reaching the capacitordielectric 13, thus greatly reducing or eliminating the degradation ofthe capacitor leakage current caused by hydrogen contamination. Thebarrier layer 15 may be fabricated with the same material as thedielectric layer 13 of the capacitor 1. The barrier layer 15 can bedeposited by sputtering. It may also be deposited with other knownmethods such as metal-organic chemical vapour deposition (MOCVD),pulsed-laser deposition (PLD), etc.

The barrier layer 15 enables a wide variety of process options for thedielectric 13, such as the temperature of deposition and electrodequality. Because of the separate barrier layer 15 the perovskite orpyrochlore dielectric 13 can be processed to specified optimumperformance characteristics, and these characteristics will besubstantially unaltered from reaction with hydrogen after hermeticsealing. Furthermore, using the pyrochlore or perovskite barrier 15allows for further processing to integrate other passive components suchas inductors, resistors, and capacitors with other dielectric materials.

The barrier layer 15 allows oxygen to diffuse through it, therebyallowing damage to the active layer from subsequent processes to berepaired. For example, damage to the active layer resulting fromprocesses such as ion milling or other dry etch techniques can berepaired. The barrier layer 15 described herein allows for a capacitorthat is robust against assembly processes such as sawing, solder reflow,epoxy encapsulation and assembly onto the customer board. The layer 15is thin, electrically inactive, and has no adverse effect on the circuitperformance.

FIG. 4 illustrates the structure of FIG. 3 with an additional insulatinglayer 16. The insulating layer 16 may, for example, be phosphosilicateglass (PSG), SiO₂, Si₃N₄ or some other suitable dielectric material.This layer provides low parasitic capacitance and may constitute amajority of the thickness of the structure. Layer 16 insulates theinterconnect metal lines (discussed below) from the upper and lowerelectrodes 12.

FIG. 5 depicts the structure of FIG. 4 further including vias 17 etchedin the interlayer dielectric (ILD) structure allowing contact to boththe top and bottom electrodes 12.

FIG. 6 shows the structure of FIG. 5 with an interconnect layer 18deposited in the vias 17 and making contact with the upper and lowerelectrodes 12. In this example, the vias 17 are filled with metal toprovide a low-resistance interconnect between the components on thesubstrate and to the input/output pads for connection to other circuits.The interconnect layer 18 should extend past the edges of the vias 17for the hermetic seal to be effective. The interconnect layer 18 may,for example, be TiW/Al/TiW, TiW/Al, TiW/Au, TiN/Al, Ti/TiN/Al, Ti/TiW/Cuor TiW/Cu.

In FIG. 7, a layer of silicon nitride 19 is deposited and patterned onthe structure of FIG. 6. This layer 19 functions as a hermetic seal tokeep out moisture that would degrade the performance of the capacitor 1.As discussed above, this layer may be deposited by PECVD or LPCVD. Theseprocesses produce atomic hydrogen that is shielded from the dielectriclayer 12 by the barrier layer 15.

FIG. 8 shows a conducting portion 20 added onto the structure of FIG. 7that may, for example, be used to electrically connect the structure toan integrated circuit (IC) chip to form a system-on-a-package structure.Gold, copper, or solder bumps are examples of materials that may be usedfor this portion 20, but other conductive materials may also be used. Inother examples this layer may not be present.

FIG. 9 is a second example thin-film capacitor 101 fabricated on asubstrate 21 with an insulating and/or planarizing layer 22. Thecapacitor 101 has a pyrochlore or perovskite dielectric layer 24 flankedby conducting electrodes 23 and a via 25 etched in the dielectric layer20. FIG. 9 is the same as FIG. 1 except for the numbering, but ispresented separately to more clearly explain the subsequent figures andhow they differ from FIGS. 1-8.

FIG. 10 depicts two additional layers added to the structure of FIG. 9.The first added layer is an optional insulating and/or planarizing layer26 that is identical to the one first illustrated in FIG. 2 anddescribed in the accompanying description of FIG. 2. Over the insulatingand/or planarizing layer 26 is an insulating layer 27 that is identicalto the one first illustrated in FIG. 4 and described in the accompanyingdescription of FIG. 4. A difference between the first example capacitorshown in (FIGS. 1-9) and the second example capacitor (shown in FIGS.10-15) is that the barrier layer 15 is between the insulating andplanarizing and insulating layers in the first example capacitor, andthese two layers are adjacent in the second example capacitor.

FIG. 11 shows vias 28 etched in the structure of FIG. 10 so that theupper and lower electrodes 23 are exposed for contact.

FIG. 12 illustrates the structure of FIG. 11 with an interconnect layerdeposited in the vias and contacting the upper and lower electrodes 23.

FIG. 13 shows the structure of FIG. 12 with the addition of the barrierlayer 30 deposited conformally over the interconnects and ILD. Notably,the barrier layer 30 is deposited much later in this example capacitorstructure than in the first example capacitor of FIGS. 1-8. However, thebarrier layer 30 is effective so long as it is deposited before thesilicon nitride hermetic seal layer is deposited.

In FIG. 14 the conformal layer of silicon nitride 19 is deposited byPECVD or LPCVD and is patterned on the structure of FIG. 13. Asdiscussed above, this layer 31 functions as a hermetic seal to keep outmoisture that would degrade the performance of the capacitor 101. Thebarrier layer shields the perovskite or pyrochlore dielectric 24 fromhydrogen released from the PECVD or LPCVD process.

FIG. 15 shows an additional conducting portion 32 added onto thestructure of FIG. 14 that functions as an interconnect to the package.Gold, copper, or solder bumps are examples of materials that may be usedfor this portion 32, but other conductive materials may also be used. Inother examples this layer may not be present, or could be used as asecond layer of interconnect.

FIGS. 16( a) and (b) depict alternate configurations of perovskite orpyrochlore capacitors having different metal connections 34 and 38 tothe top electrode of the electrode pairs 23 and 12, respectively. FIG.16( a) is similar to FIG. 15 in that the hydrogen barrier 30 isintegrated into the ILD film stack. The structure in FIG. 16( a),however, has a different metal interconnect 34 that leads from the topelectrode 33 to a pad opening 35 that is spaced laterally away from thecapacitor 101 and is filled with a conducting portion 36, such as gold,copper, or a solder bump. In FIG. 16( b) the hydrogen barrier 15 isintegrated into the final passivation layer as in FIG. 8, however, thestructure of FIG. 16( b) has a different metal interconnect 38 thatleads from the top electrode 37 to a second pad opening 39 that isspaced laterally away from the capacitor 1 and is filled with aconducting portion 40, such as gold, copper, or a solder bump. In otherexamples similar to the structures shown in FIGS. 16( a) and (b), theconducting portions 36, 40 may not be present.

FIG. 17 shows an example multi-level capacitor 41 that has a bottom 41,middle 43, and top electrode 45, and a lower 42 and upper 44 pyrochloreor perovskite dielectric. The lower dielectric 42 being flanked by thebottom 41 and middle 43 electrodes, and the upper dielectric 44 beingflanked by the middle 43 and top 45 electrodes. Each layer of themulti-level capacitor structure 41 can have different properties andfunctions which may include different capacitance-voltagecharacteristics (tunabilities). The multi-level capacitor structure 41is a mesa-structure, which may be fabricated using photolithographybased patterning techniques. Preferably, the capacitor formed from thetop two conductive electrodes 43, 45 and the top-most dielectric layer44 is a voltage variable (tunable) capacitor.

An insulating and/or planarizing layer 51 is deposited over and adjacentto the capacitor 40, and a thick insulating layer 52 is deposited overand adjacent to the insulating and/or planarizing layer 51. (Moredetailed descriptions of these layers are discussed above.) Vias areetched through the thick insulating layer 52, the insulating and/orplanarizing layer 51, and the lower 42 and upper 44 dielectrics. A firstvia 53 is etched so that the bottom electrode 41 is exposed. A secondvia 55 is etched so that the middle electrode 43 is exposed. A third via57 is etched so that the top electrode 45 is exposed. A firstinterconnect portion 46 a is conformally deposited over a section of thethick insulating layer 52 and into the first 53 and third vias 57. Asecond interconnect portion 46 b is also conformally deposited overanother section of the thick insulating layer 52 and into the second via55. In this example, the interconnect portions 46 a, 46 b are metalsthat provide a low-resistance interconnect between the components of thecapacitor 40 and input/output pads for connection to other circuits. Theinterconnect portions 46 a, 46 b may, for example, be TiW/Al/TiW,TiW/Al, TiW/Pt/Au, TiN/Al, Ti/TiN/Al, Ti/TiW/Cu or TiW/Cu. The BSTbarrier layer 49 and Silicon Nitride overcoat 50 are fabricated over thefirst and second interconnect portions 46 a, 46 b and the remainingexposed section of the thick insulating layer 52. Conductive portions 47a and 47 b fill pad openings 48 a and 48 b in the barrier layer 49 andthe silicon nitride layer 50. The conducting portions 47 a, 47 b may,for example, be gold, copper, or solder bumps. In other examples, thepad openings 47 a, 47 b may not be filled with a conducting portion.

FIG. 18 is the same as FIG. 17 except that the hydrogen barrier 49 isintegrated into the ILD film stack, being sandwiched between theinsulating and/or planarizing layer 51 and the thick insulating layer52.

FIG. 19 shows the structure of FIG. 4, with a hermetic sealing layer 70applied as part of the ILD film stack before any via hole processing isperformed.

FIG. 20 shows the structure of FIG. 19 with first and second vias 71 a,71 b etched into the ILD film stack and filled with first and secondinterconnecting portions 72 a, 72 b. The first via 71 a allows the firstinterconnect portion 72 a to contact the lower electrode 12, and thesecond via 71 b allows the second interconnect portion 72 b to contactthe upper electrode 12.

FIG. 21 shows the structure of FIG. 20 with an additional finalprotection layer 80 deposited and patterned to allow first and secondconducting portions 82 a, 82 b to contact the first and secondinterconnect portions 72 a, 72 b. The final protection layer 80 providesprotection to the capacitor from scratches or other damage. The firstand second conductor portions 82 a, 82 b protrude through first andsecond pad openings 81 a, 81 b that are etched in the final protectionlayer 80 and may provide contact to external circuits. Example materialsused for the final protection layer 80 are cyclobutane or polyimide. Theconductor portions 82 a, 82 b may, for example, be gold, copper, orsolder bumps.

In other examples of the technology described herein, any of the abovedescribed structures could be fabricated without the insulating and/orplanarizing layer and/or the thick insulating layer. In these examplesit is contemplated that the pyrochlore or perovskite hydrogen barrierlayer could partially overlay and contact the pyrochlore or perovskitedielectric of the capacitor. FIG. 22 illustrates such an examplestructure where a substrate 91 is attached to a capacitor 92, and abarrier layer 93 and hermetic seal 94 are sequentially deposited overthe capacitor 92. Other layers may be added to the structure of FIG. 22such as planarizing, insulating, or interconnect layers, as discussedabove. Layers promoting adhesion of the capacitor to the substrate orplanarizing layer, buffer layers, and high density interconnect (HDI)layers are also examples of layers that may be added to the structure toprovide additional enhanced characteristics or functionality. Vias maybe fabricated in various locations though the respective layers toprovide contact points for conducting components, for example, to attachthe capacitor 92 to the package.

FIGS. 23-24 illustrate example processes for fabricating an examplecircuit structure that incorporates a hydrogen barrier layer. FIG. 23 isa flow diagram illustrating a general fabrication process for a basicstructure incorporating the hydrogen barrier, and FIG. 24 illustrates amore detailed fabrication process for a structure with additionallayers.

Regarding FIG. 23, the overall process for fabricating an examplecircuit structure is illustrated as a four step process. In the firststep 124, a thin-film capacitor is fabricated on a substrate and metalinterconnects are provided. In the second step 126, the BST hydrogenbarrier layer is fabricated over the capacitor. In the third step 128,silicon nitride is deposited by PECVD over the BST hydrogen barrierlayer. The atomic hydrogen produced from the PECVD process is blockedfrom reaching the capacitor by the blocking layer. In the fourth step130, the structure is patterned and etched to create pad openings forbumping or wire-bonding.

With reference now to FIG. 24, in the first step 140, a Pt-BST-Ptcapacitor is fabricated on a substrate so that contact areas to theelectrodes are exposed. The contact area to the bottom electrode may beformed by etching away the BST and/or top electrode layers to form avia. This step may also include the fabrication of the substrate, suchas a ceramic substrate with HDI routing, and also an insulating and/orplanarizing layer on the side of the substrate that the capacitor isfabricated on. The second step 142 involves depositing an insulatinglayer over the capacitor with a non-hydrogen-generating process. Theinsulating layer may also function to smooth the topography of thestructure. In the third step 144 the BST hydrogen barrier layer isdeposited over the structure. Then, in the fourth step 146, a thickinsulating layer is deposited. This layer may be 0.5 to 1.5 micronsthick, and may provide the majority of the thickness of the structure.As an example, this layer may be composed of a PSG material.

At step 148 the structure is patterned and vias are etched through theILD stack (the thick insulating layer, the barrier layer, and theinsulating layer) to expose the electrodes. Then, at step 150, metallayers are deposited and patterned to form interconnects to theelectrodes. As an example, the metallic layers may be TiW/Al/TiW,TiW/Al, TiW/Pt/Au, TiN/Al, Ti/TiN/Al, Ti/TiW/Cu, or TiW/Cu. Finally, thesilicon nitride hermetic seal layer is deposited in step 152 by PECVD,and it is patterned and etched to provide openings for the metalinterconnects. Although not shown as a separate step, a metal bump layer(e.g., TiW/Au) connecting to the metal interconnects may then bedeposited and etched to form bonding pads on the top surface of thestructure. The top layer bonding pads may, for example, be used toconnect with the bonding pads of an integrated circuit, forming an SoPstructure.

Other steps, involving fabricating other layers may be added in betweenor after the steps shown in FIGS. 23 and 24. Other layers may includelayers promoting adhesion of the capacitor to the substrate orplanarizing layer, buffer layers, high density interconnect (HDI)layers, and scratch-resistant, protective layers.

EXAMPLES

Two examples of a BST reactive barrier were prepared on a silicondioxide surface. The examples differed by crystal size.

Example 1

A barium strontium titanate reactive barrier was deposited onto asilicon dioxide surface by reactive sputtering in an argon-oxygen plasmaat a temperature of 150° C., at a pressure of 0.7 Pa, and a powersetting of 1.8 kW RF+0.5 kW DC. The thickness of the barrier was 1000Angstroms. Subsequently, a silicon nitride layer was deposited directlyover the reactive barrier layer by PECVD at about 300° C. The thicknessof the reactive barrier was 0.6 microns.

Example 2

A barium strontium titanate (BST) reactive barrier was deposited onto asilicon dioxide surface by reactive sputtering in an argon-oxygen plasmaat a temperature of 20° C., at a pressure of 2 Pa, and a power settingof 1.7 kW RF. The thickness of the barrier was 1400 Angstroms.Subsequently, a silicon nitride layer was deposited directly over thereactive barrier layer by PECVD at about 300° C. The thickness of thereactive barrier was 0.6 microns.

Analysis

Example 1 and Example 2 were analyzed with an atomic force microscope.FIGS. 24 and 25 show images for Example 1 and Example 2, respectively,that were obtained with an XE-100 model AFM from PSIA Inc. Dynamic forcemode was employed in order to obtain the images. The examples showedformation of isomorphic crystallites.

Three line profiles isolated from the images are shown in FIGS. 26 and27, from which the roughness and the size of crystallites are estimated.Table 1 contains data obtained from the line profiles for Example 1, andTable 2 contains data obtained from the line profiles for Example 2.

TABLE 1 Line Min (nm) Max (nm) Mid (nm) Mean (nm) Rpv (nm) Rq (nm) Ra(nm) Rz (nm) Rsk (pm) Rku (pm) Red 1.656 21.383 11.520 9.709 19.7274.091 3.435 3.404 −11.420 63.415 Green 4.598 17.799 11.198 10.525 13.2012.455 1.832 1.480 −9.809 87.534 Blue 0.816 22.990 11.903 10.375 22.1743.520 2.596 2.626 −8.044 111.616

TABLE 2 Line Min (nm) Max (nm) Mid (nm) Mean (nm) Rpv (nm) Rq (nm) Ra(nm) Rz (nm) Rsk (pm) Rku (pm) Red 3.214 12.607 7.910 6.590 9.394 2.0831.664 2.438 −17.118 74.526 Green 2.250 10.556 6.403 6.320 8.306 1.9291.576 0.244 −5.189 58.017 Blue 1.681 11.619 6.650 6.720 9.938 2.1101.725 −0.141 −2.816 59.714

Based on XPS (X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy) analysis of the samplesafter PECVD deposition of silicon nitride (which produced atomizedhydrogen), a ratio of the oxide concentration in the highest valencestate (C_(max)) to the total oxide concentration (C) changed fromC_(max)/C1 for both examples to C_(max)/C0.85 for Example 1 andC_(max)/C0.65 for Example 2. More significant change in the ratio forExample 2 shows higher reactivity.

This written description uses examples to disclose the invention,including the best mode, and also to enable a person skilled in the artto make and use the invention. It should be understood that the examplesdepicted in the Figures may not be drawn to scale. The patentable scopeof the invention may include other examples that occur to those skilledin the art.

For example, the technology disclosed above may be modified to include aconductive bump layer as a second level of interconnect along with ascratch-protection layer on top of this bump layer. The scratchprotection layer can be patterned and etched to allow connection to anintegrated circuit. Another bump layer may be added on top of this.

1-22. (canceled)
 23. A thin-film capacitor structure, comprising: asubstrate; a thin-film capacitor attached to the substrate, thethin-film capacitor including a pyrochlore or perovskite dielectriclayer between a plurality of electrode layers, the electrode layersbeing formed from a conductive thin-film material; a pyrochlore orperovskite alkali earth titanate hydrogen-gettering barrier layerdeposited over the thin-film capacitor by sputtering or pulse laserdeposition; a silicon nitride layer deposited over the barrier layer,the silicon nitride layer being deposited by plasma enhanced chemicalvapor deposition (PECVD) or low pressure chemical vapor deposition(LPCVD).
 24. The thin-film capacitor structure of claim 23, wherein thesubstrate includes at least one of an insulating layer and a planarizinglayer.
 25. The thin-film capacitor structure of claim 24, wherein theinsulating layer or the planarizing layer is deposited over and adjacentto the thin-film capacitor.
 26. The thin-film capacitor structure ofclaim 23, wherein a thick insulating layer is deposited over thethin-film capacitor.
 27. The think-film capacitor structure of claim 26,wherein the thick insulating layer is deposited over and adjacent to thebarrier layer.
 28. The thin-film capacitor structure of claim 26,wherein the silicon nitride layer is deposited as a hermetic seal overand adjacent to the thick insulating layer.
 29. The thin-film capacitorstructure of claim 24, wherein a thick insulating layer is depositedover and adjacent to the planarizing layer or the insulating layer. 30.The thin-film capacitor structure of claim 29, wherein the barrier layeris deposited over and adjacent to the thick insulating layer.
 31. Thethin-film capacitor structure of claim 30, wherein the silicon nitridelayer is deposited over and adjacent to the barrier layer.
 32. Thethin-film capacitor structure of claim 23, wherein a protective layer isdeposited over the silicon nitride layer.
 33. The thin-film capacitorstructure of claim 23, wherein the barrier layer is a compoundcontaining Barium Strontium Titanium Oxide.
 34. The thin-film capacitorstructure of claim 23, wherein the capacitor is a multilevel capacitor.35. The thin-film integrated circuit of claim 34, wherein themulti-level capacitor is a tunable capacitor.
 36. An integrated circuitcomprising: a substrate; a capacitor including a pyrochlore orperovskite dielectric layer between a plurality of electrode layers; apyrochlore or perovskite alkali earth titanate hydrogen-getteringbarrier layer deposited over the thin-film capacitor by sputtering orpulse laser deposition; and a layer deposited by a process that producesatomic hydrogen in a quantity sufficient to degrade the capacitor. 37.The integrated circuit of claim 36, wherein the process that producesatomic hydrogen in a sufficient quantity to degrade the capacitor isplasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) or low pressurechemical vapor deposition (LPCVD).
 38. A method of manufacturing acapacitor structure, comprising the steps of: fabricating a capacitor ona substrate, the capacitor having a pyrochlore or perovskite dielectriclayer; depositing a pyrochlore or perovskite alkali earth titanatehydrogen-gettering layer over the capacitor by sputtering or pulse laserdeposition; depositing a silicon nitride hermetic seal layer by PECVD orLPCVD over the hydrogen barrier layer.
 39. The method of claim 38,further comprising depositing at least one of a planarizing layer and aninsulating layer.
 40. The method of claim 38, further comprisingdepositing a thick insulating layer.
 41. A thin-film capacitorstructure, comprising: a substrate; a thin-film capacitor attached tothe substrate, the thin-film capacitor including a pyrochlore orperovskite dielectric layer between a plurality of electrode layers, theelectrode layers being formed from a conductive thin-film material; ametal interconnect layer comprising Al, Cu, or Au; a pyrochlore orperovskite alkali earth titanate hydrogen-gettering barrier layerdeposited over the metal interconnect layer; a silicon nitride layerdeposited over the barrier layer, the silicon nitride layer beingdeposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) or lowpressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD).
 42. The thin-film capacitorstructure of claim 41, wherein the metal interconnect layer is a layeredstructure selected from the group consisting of: TiW/Al/TiW, TiW/Al,TiW/Pt/Au, TiN/Al, Ti/TiN/Al, Ti/TiW/Cu and TiW/Cu.